Rwandan leader in Sudan to discuss Darfur conflict

KHARTOUM, Feb 22 (AFP) — Rwandan President Paul Kagame began a three-day visit to Sudan, which will include a visit to the war-torn western region of Darfur, Sudanese presidential sources said.

Sudanese President Omar el-Beshir (L) receives his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame in Khartoum, on Tuesday February 22, 2005. (AFP).

Kagame held a meeting with his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Beshir in talks that covered regional and international issues, as well as the conflict in Darfur, the sources added.

Rwanda has an estimated 400 troops in Darfur serving as part of an African Union force of 1,700 military observers and troops, monitoring a ceasefire between government forces and rebel fighters.

Kagame was scheduled to meet with a number of senior officials in Khartoum and then travel to El-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur state, where the AU mission is based for a brief visit.

Tens of thousands of people have died in two years of war between government forces and the two main rebels groups in the region. A further 1.6 million people have been displaced from their homes.